Injured officer Doherty skates with Wildcats

DURHAM — It took almost a year, but Dan Doherty made sure former Gov. John Lynch kept his promise.

Doherty is the Manchester police officer who nearly died from serious gunshot wounds sustained in the line of duty last March.

“He came very close to not making it,” Lynch said. “I told Dan when he was in the hospital that when he was better and he could skate I’d bring him over to stake with the UNH Wildcats. It put a smile on his face. Neither of us had any idea when it would happen, or if it would happen.”

It happened Thursday when Doherty participated in a pre-practice skate with the University of New Hampshire hockey team at the Whittemore Center.

When he took the ice, Doherty was wearing a blue and white UNH sweater with his name stitched on the back along with the No. 47, his badge number.

“It was motivation, absolutely,” said Doherty, a Wildcat hockey fan who tries to attend a handful of games every season. “Not only motivation to get back on my feet, but I knew if I’d be playing hockey that I would definitely be back to where I left off.”

He’s not quite there yet, although he recently returned to work ahead of schedule. Shot seven times from close range, Doherty recovered from an ordeal that required multiple surgeries on his lower body and left him with a titanium rod in his left leg.

“I went back to work kind of unexpectedly,” he said. “I didn’t tell many people. That first day back I said I should probably tell the governor I’m back. I wanted to tell him I didn’t forget about his promise.”

Lynch was way ahead of him, calling Doherty shortly after he returned to work. The former governor then contacted UNH coach Dick Umile.

“Dick was incredibly gracious,” said Lynch, also an avid Wildcat hockey fan,“and just said let us know what day you want to come over.”

Doherty, 26, helped warm up the goalies before practice and even scored on a wrist shot during breakaway drills.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “I’ve been bragging about it the last week and a half, two weeks, telling all the guys at work what I get to do on Valentine’s Day, and everyone says ‘so you’d rather go play with the UNH guys than be with your girl friend?’

“Absolutely,”Doherty said with a laugh, then added, “It’s an honor. I’m sure I’ll be shaking the hands of a few NHL stars, hopefully.”

Doherty is a pretty good hockey player in his own right. He played for one-time, high-school hockey power Matignon in Cambridge, Mass., and played juniors while attending Curry College.

He also plans to play in the annual Battle of the Badges hockey game at Manchester’s Verizon Arena to benefit the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

The game that typically pits the police against the firefighters will be divided up geographically this year. Doherty is a co-captain on the West squad that will take on the East on March 16.

He played in two of the previous three games but missed last year’s contest after being shot a week or so before the game.

“I hold that event pretty close to my heart,” Doherty said. “I look forward to it. We fund raise for the kids and our reward is to play in that game. That’s the highlight of my year. Besides the shooting and everything I had to go through. the hardest thing I had to deal with was not being able to play in that game. I made a promise that I’d be playing this year.”

According to Doherty, they’ve raised a cumulative total of $820,000 over the first five years with the goal to reach $1 million this year.

As for himself, Doherty said he is expected to make close to a full recovery.

“I’m able to run, lift weights and do my job,” he said, “but when it comes to hockey I still have some more hurdles to get over. The feet aren’t in tune with my brain because of my ankles. My ankles are a little weak still, but it’s coming. I can still lace them up and get out there, and that’s all that matters to me.”